Fenofibrate: 7 things you should know - Drugs.com

Fenofibrate is effective at reducing triglyceride levels and increasing HDL cholesterol levels; however, it is less effective than statins at ... Skiptomaincontent Close PatientTips fenofibrate Print Save Fenofibrate:7thingsyoushouldknow MedicallyreviewedbyCarmenFookes,BPharm.LastupdatedonMay26,2022. Howitworks Upsides Downsides BottomLine Tips Response/effectiveness Interactions 1.Howitworks Fenofibratemaybeusedforthetreatmentofhighcholesterol. Fenofibrateactivatesanenzymecalledlipoproteinlipasewhichincreasesthebreakdownoflipidsandtheeliminationoftriglyceride-richparticlesfromtheblood. Fenofibratebelongstotheclassofmedicinescalledfibrates. 2.Upsides Maybeusedtotreathighcholesterol(dyslipidemia)inadultswithprimaryhypercholesterolemiaormixeddyslipidemia. Canbeagoodalternativeforpeoplewhocan'ttoleratestatins. Shouldbeusedinadditiontoahealthydiet. Alsousedtolowertheriskofpancreatitisinadultswithveryhightriglyceridelevels(morethan2000mg/dL). FenofibrateismoreeffectivethanstatinsatincreasingHDLcholesterollevels,similartoatorvastatinandrosuvastatinatreducingtriglyceridelevels,butlesseffectivethanstatinsatloweringLDLcholesterollevels. Availableasoraltabletsintwostrengths,54mg,and160mg. Genericfenofibrateisavailable. 3.Downsides Ifyouarebetweentheagesof18and60,takenoothermedicationorhavenoothermedicalconditions,sideeffectsyouaremorelikelytoexperienceinclude: Abdominalpain,aheadache,backache,nausea,constipation,nasalcongestion,orarunnynose. Fenofibratehasbeenassociatedwithmyopathy(dysfunctionofmusclefibers)andrhabdomyolysis(musclecelldestruction).Theriskisincreasedinseniorsandinpeoplewithdiabetes,kidneydisease,hypothyroidism,andalsointhosetakingstatinsorcolchicine.Tabletsmayneedtobediscontinuedifseriousmuscleproblemsoccur. Hasnotbeenshowntoreducetheriskofdeathfromheartdiseaseinpatientswithtype2diabetes. Dosagemayneedtobereducedinpeoplewithmild-to-moderatekidneydisease(therecommendedinitialdoseis54mg/day).Notrecommendedforpeoplewithseverekidneydisease. Maycauseanincreaseinliverenzymes.Liverenzymesneedtobeperiodicallymonitoredandfenofibrateshouldbediscontinuedifliverenzymesreachthreetimestheupperlimitofnormal. Insomepeople,fenofibratemayseverelydepressHDLcholesterollevels.HDLlevelsshouldbecheckedwithinthefirstfewweeksoffenofibratetherapyandthedrugdiscontinuedifHDLcholesterollevelshavedroppedsignificantly. Hasnotbeenshowntoreducecoronaryheartdiseasemorbidityandmortalityinpeoplewithtype2diabetesmellitus. Maynotbesuitableforsomepeopleincludingthosewithgallbladderdisease,liverdisease,severekidneydisease,andinwomenwhoarepregnantorbreastfeeding. Mayinteractwithsomedrugsincludingwarfarin(mayprolongbleedingtimes),sulfonylureas,statins,colchicine,bileacid-bindingresins,andimmunosuppressants. Note:Ingeneral,seniorsorchildren,peoplewithcertainmedicalconditions(suchasliverorkidneyproblems,heartdisease,diabetes,seizures)orpeoplewhotakeothermedicationsaremoreatriskofdevelopingawiderrangeofsideeffects.Viewcompletelistofsideeffects 4.BottomLine FenofibrateiseffectiveatreducingtriglyceridelevelsandincreasingHDLcholesterollevels;however,itislesseffectivethanstatinsatreducingLDLcholesterollevels.Fenofibratetabletsshouldbegivenwithmealsandanappropriatelipid-loweringdietshouldbeadheredto. 5.Tips Canbegivenwithorwithoutfood. Useinadditiontoanappropriatelipid-loweringdietandregularexercise.Reducingbodyweightandalcoholconsumptionwillalsohelplowercholesterolandtriglyceridelevels. Reportpromptlyanyunexplainedmuscletenderness,weakness,orpain,especiallyifothersymptoms(suchasfeverorfeelingunwell)arealsopresent. Seekurgentmedicalattentionifyoudevelopsymptomsofanallergicreaction(suchasdifficultybreathing,swelling,orarash)oryellowingoftheskinoreyeswhiletakingfenofibrate. Diseasessuchashypothyroidism(lowthyroidlevels)anddiabetescontributetodyslipidemia,soitisimportantthesemustbetreatedaswell.Inaddition,somemedications(forexample,estrogen,bendroflumethiazide,andatenolol)mayincreasetriglyceridelevels. Monitoringofcholesterol/triglyceridelevelseveryfourtoeightweeksisimportanttoestablishtheeffectivenessoffenofibratetherapy.Yourdoctorshouldconsiderdiscontinuingtherapyifyouhavenothadanadequateresponseaftertwomonthsoftreatment. Tellyourdoctorifyouarepregnantorintendtobecomepregnantbecauseitisnotknowniffenofibratehasanyeffectsonthedevelopingbaby.Donotbreastfeedifyouarebeingtreatedwithfenofibrate. 6.Responseandeffectiveness Fenofibrateisquicklyabsorbedandconvertedintoitsactiveingredientfenofibricacidonceinsidethebody.Takesaboutaweekforlevelstostabilize.Maytakeseveralweeksbeforeeffectsoncholesterolandtriglycerideslevelsareapparent. Fenofibratelowerstotalcholesterolby9to13%,VLDLcholesterolby44to49%,triglyceridesby46to54%,andapolipoproteinB(ApoB).FenofibratealsoincreasesHDLcholesterolby19-22%. Cholesterolandtriglyceridelevelsshouldbemonitoredeveryfourtoeightweeks. Dosageshouldbeindividualizedaccordingtotheresponse. Peoplewithmarkedlyelevatedlevelsofserumtriglycerides(>2000mg/dL)haveahigherriskofdevelopingpancreatitis.Itisnotknowniffenofibratetreatmentreducesthisrisk. 7.Interactions Medicinesthatinteractwithfenofibratemayeitherdecreaseitseffect,affecthowlongitworksfor,increasesideeffects,orhavelessofaneffectwhentakenwithfenofibrate.Aninteractionbetweentwomedicationsdoesnotalwaysmeanthatyoumuststoptakingoneofthemedications;however,sometimesitdoes.Speaktoyourdoctorabouthowdruginteractionsshouldbemanaged. Commonmedicationsthatmayinteractwithfenofibrateinclude: acyclovir aminoglycosides,suchasgentamicinorneomycin beta-blockers,suchasatenololorsotalol blackcohosh colchicine cancermedications,suchascisplatinorpemetrexed cholestyramine cyclosporine diabetesmedications,suchasinsulin,glimepiride,glipizide,orglyburide diuretics,suchasHCTZorchlorthalidone ezetimibe leflunomide otherlipid-loweringdrugssuchasatorvastatinorsimvastatin raltegravir redyeastrice ursodiol warfarin. Alcoholmaymakefenofibratetreatmentlesseffective. Notethatthislistisnotall-inclusiveandincludesonlycommonmedicationsthatmayinteractwithfenofibrate.Youshouldrefertotheprescribinginformationforfenofibrateforacompletelistofinteractions. Moreaboutfenofibrate Sideeffects Druginteractions Dosageinformation Duringpregnancyor Breastfeeding Reviews(62) Drugimages Comparealternatives Pricing&coupons Enespañol Drugclass:fibricacidderivatives Patientresources DrugInformation Fenofibrate(AdvancedReading) FenofibrateandDerivativesCapsules FenofibrateandDerivativesTablets OtherbrandsTriCor,Lofibra,Triglide,Fenoglide,...+2more Professionalresources PrescribingInformation Relatedtreatmentguides Hypertriglyceridemia Hyperlipoproteinemia HyperlipoproteinemiaTypeIIa,ElevatedLDL HyperlipoproteinemiaTypeIIb,ElevatedLDLVLDL HyperlipoproteinemiaTypeIV,ElevatedVLDL HyperlipoproteinemiaTypeV,ElevatedChylomicronsVLDL References Fenofibrate.Revised11/2021.MajorPharmaceuticalshttps://www.drugs.com/pro/fenofibrate-tablets.html FurtherinformationRemember,keepthisandallothermedicinesoutofthereachofchildren,nevershareyourmedicineswithothers,andusefenofibrateonlyfortheindicationprescribed.Alwaysconsultyourhealthcareprovidertoensuretheinformationdisplayedonthispageappliestoyourpersonalcircumstances. Copyright1996-2022Drugs.com.Revisiondate:May25,2022. MedicalDisclaimer DrugStatus Availability Prescriptiononly Rx Pregnancy&Lactation Riskdataavailable CSASchedule* Notacontrolleddrug N/A Loading... ApprovalHistory DrughistoryatFDA Loading... UserReviews&Ratings 5.8/10 62Reviews RelatedDrugs atorvastatin,simvastatin,rosuvastatin,Lipitor,Crestor,pravastatin,gemfibrozil,Vascepa,niacin,FishOil Images Fenofibratesystemic67mg(G0511G0511) Viewallimages